5 Essential Qualities The Modern Manager Must Possess

“The future management model is all about removing roadblocks from the paths of employees in order to help them succeed. This extends beyond managing people to empowering and engaging people. The traditional idea of management was based on leading by fear and the notion of command and control. Employees used to work hard to allow their managers to succeed and now it’s the managers turn to make sure their employees succeed. As I’ve said many times, employees are the most valuable asset that any organization has. In the past managers said “jump” and the employees said, “how high?” Now, the managers are jumping with employees.“

As the world of work continues to change so do the qualities and characteristics of the managers who are going to be leading our companies. Work is not the same as it used to be and we are seeing dramatic changes in both behavior and technology not just in our personal lives but in our professional lives. This means that just because managers were successful in the past doesn’t mean they will be successful in the future. When it comes to evolving the way we work managers need to possess five qualities to help their organizations evolve and succeed in the future of work.

Follow from the front

The future management model is all about removing roadblocks from the paths of employees in order to help them succeed. This extends beyond managing people to empowering and engaging people. The traditional idea of management was based on leading by fear and the notion of command and control. Employees used to work hard to allow their managers to succeed and now it’s the managers turn to make sure their employees succeed. As I’ve said many times, employees are the most valuable asset that any organization has. In the past managers said “jump” and the employees said, “how high?” Now, the managers are jumping with employees.

Understand technology

This isn’t the same as technical expertise. I’m not saying that it’s important for managers to all of a sudden become IT professionals. However, managers do need to understand the overall technology landscape and how it is impacting the way we work. This means having a good pulse of what is happening in the consumer web as well as understanding which social and collaborative technologies are making their way into the enterprise and what the implications of that are. Managers who have a good understanding of what is happening with technology will always be able to adapt and evolve ahead of the competition.

Lead by example

It used to be good enough for managers to say they supported something. A manager would just need to approve the budget and say “go for it.” When it comes to collaboration and the future of work that is no longer enough. Managers need to commit to more than just funding collaboration. They need to be the ones on the ground level using the same tools that the rest of the employees are using. There is no way that employees can change and evolve (nor should they) unless they see their managers doing the same.

Embrace vulnerability

This goes hand in hand with being open and transparent. Our organizations were modeled after the military and if there’s one thing that a commander wasn’t, that was vulnerable. However, times have changed and we aren’t running our organizations like the military anymore. We go our whole lives (especially men) learning how to be the opposite of vulnerable and we always have this “shield” up to keep people from seeing us when we are vulnerable. However, Brene Brown, author of “Daring Greatly,” says that vulnerability is about having the courage to show up and be seen. According to Brown, “Vulnerability is the absolute heartbeat of innovation and creativity. There can be zero innovation without vulnerability.” Being vulnerable isn’t about being weak it’s about being courageous; a key quality that every manager must have going forward.

Belief in sharing

Traditionally managers sat at the top of the organization and had access to all of the information required to make decisions. Managers would dole out the orders and the employees had to execute on those orders without asking any questions. Today managers cannot believe in hoarding information but in sharing information and collective intelligence. Managers need to make sure that the employees can connect to each other and to the information they need to get their jobs done, anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Managers now rely on employees to help make decisions instead of isolating them from this process.

What other qualities do you think the modern manager should possess?

(Source: Forbes)

“Opinion pieces of this sort published on RISE Networks are those of the original authors and do not in anyway represent the thoughts, beliefs and ideas of RISE Networks.”

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